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As 2014 brings in new struggles for cities and states to pay for employee legacy costs while still funding the essential functions of government, policymakers on both sides of the aisle are reconsidering how to provide a secure retirement for state and municipal employees in a responsible manner. Reports estimate total unfunded pension liabilities exceed $4 trillion across the 50 states, and Detroit’s municipal bankruptcy, along with dozens more over the last half decade, are just the tip of the iceberg. Many thoughtful criticisms have come from reform discussions, but also many attacks built on misconceptions, “straw man” arguments and […]

In the wake of the NSA scandal, American citizens demand Congress take a hard look at government surveillance practices. While only the federal government has the power to halt NSA activities, the states will likely be the real battleground for privacy issues. In fact, state legislators are actively moving legislation aimed at protecting citizens’ civil liberties in the digital age. Digitally connected devices are an integral part of Americans’ daily lives. More than 90 percent of Americans deem essential one device in particular: the smartphone. For many, the buzz of a smartphone alarm is the first thing heard each morning, […]

In his State of the Union address, President Obama mentioned fixing a broken health care system. Unfortunately, the president provided no specifics about how to fix errors already experienced during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), such as securing ethical and well-screened insurance navigators who handle personal information of health insurance enrollees.

New Report Provides State Solutions to Increase Broadband Investment and Connectivity in the Wake of Disaster Arlington, VA (February 5, 2014)—Better connectivity to broadband with an emphasis on public safety is the focus of a new report released today by the American Legislative Exchange Council Task Force on Communications and Technology. The report, “The States’ Broadband Plan,” offers three model policies for state legislators looking to improve broadband in their states. Two of the featured model policies encourage the modernizing and streamlining of regulations governing broadband to foster more investment, and the third model policy promotes faster responses to disasters […]

American Legislative Exchange Council Focus: Limited Government, Free Markets and Federalism The American Legislative Exchange Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused solely on pro-growth, economic issues to increase opportunity for all Americans. The unique public-private partnership provided by the Council expands all members’ ability to understand and act upon issues that matter in states around the country. The American Legislative Exchange Council provides a forum to facilitate the exchange of policy ideas from a variety of perspectives. Model policy and resolutions are developed by organization members and may not reflect the positions of any individual member, company, association, or […]

The American Legislative Exchange Council is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators. ALEC advances limited government, free markets and federalism through a unique and valuable partnership between the public and private sector. Like other membership organizations, membership regularly expands and contracts for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, organization and member policy priorities, elections, term limits, mergers and shifts in government affairs focus. Following the Trayvon Martin tragedy, ALEC critics distorted the role ALEC played in ‘Stand Your Ground.’ As a result, certain private sector members chose to withdraw their support for the […]

Below is the correspondence between Ed Pilkington and American Legislative Exchange Council Senior Director of Public Affairs Bill Meierling. Mr. Pilkington’s story was well balanced, and we appreciate the opportunity to engage in discussion with The Guardian. However, a number of subsequent articles published by other outlets have inaccurately characterized both Mr. Pilkington’s report and the attached business documents relevant to his story. In the interest of transparency, the exact exchange between Pilkington and Meierling is included below:

New Report Highlights 18 States That Significantly Cut Taxes in 2013 Personal income tax the most popular tax cut Arlington, VA (November 20, 2013)—Eighteen states cut taxes in the 2013 legislative year, with some states enacting fundamental tax reform and others only slightly modifying their tax code, according to a new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council Center for State Fiscal Reform. The tax policy changes enacted by states reflect an emphasis on pro-growth reforms that encourage economic expansion and competition. Of the 18 states that cut taxes during the 2013 legislative year, there were 25 cuts in specific […]

Tuesday marked the first day of open enrollment for the health-insurance exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act. It didn’t go very well: Would-be health-insurance consumers in at least 47 states encountered technical problems. These so-called glitches, however, mask a much more serious concern for consumers: protecting sensitive data. The lack of sufficient security surrounding the exchanges should give potential enrollees pause.